While there are many great local and land-based destinations, a liveaboard might be the ultimate experience for a vacation dedicated to diving. But the benefits of liveaboard diving, such as traveling to incredible dive sites that can’t be reached from shore and filling your days with dives, require some extra preparation. If you have decided to take the plunge on your first liveaboard trip, here are some tips to ensure smooth sailing.
Most people do not openly admit their fears before diving: Egos and unwillingness to stop someone else’s dive lead many uncomfortable divers to enter the water despite their uneasy feelings. Talk with your buddy before diving, and make sure both of you are comfortable with the dive plan. If your buddy is being unusually talkative or quiet, avoiding certain subjects, compulsively checking gear, repeating questions or acting strange before a dive, continue your communication. Stay positive and reassuring, but don’t dismiss fears or pressure a hesitant person to dive.
Every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack; more than 2,000 Americans will have one on any given day. Heart attacks and other cardiac emergencies can happen anytime, anywhere and can be deadly without immediate medical intervention. A CPR certification will enable you to save a life no matter where you are. DAN created its Basic Life Support (BLS): CPR and First Aid course to give people the knowledge and skills they need to recognize and respond to some of the most common emergency situations.
As part of the 2019 Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards annual competition, the Ocean Views category honors those photographers whose skill and creative vision have captured a frozen moment in time that can bring attention to both the bounty and fragility of the marine ecosystems found in and near our underwater world.
Dive businesses, professionals, divers and the broader dive community can be active in their work to protect the environment. Through education, interventions, awareness and other simple steps, we all can work together to support and protect the environment.
Mobility drills can increase strength in shoulders, hips, knees and other important joints. Grab a dowel and target some commonly ignored regions of the body that are important for scuba diving.
DAN® medical information specialists and researchers answer your dive medicine questions.
CPR skills can come in handy at any time and in any situation. A family vacation was interrupted when an individual needed CPR, and the family sprang into action with their medical training. Read their story.
Diabetes is no longer a disqualifier for diving, but those with diabetes will need medical clearance to dive. However, dive instructors may need additional information to properly teach these individuals.